Friday, November 23, 2012

Recently I came in to possession of some bright and delightful vintage tablecloths from the 1940s and 50s. The imagery is charmingly retro that would still work today. These vintage tablecloths have the typical spot here and there, and maybe a pin hole or two, but something you'd expect after all these years.

This chicken tablecloth is one of my favorites!

The tablecloth below has a retro Hawaiian feel to it and I love the teal and rose colors!

And can you guess the theme of this next tablecloth? Perfect for a Tex Mex barbecue and the colors are BOLT, this tablecloth doesn't have much fading at all, really crisp.

There are a couple of Colonial themed tablecloths including this one. This vintage tablecloth is printed but has the appearance of embroidery.

This tablecloth would be perfect for a little girl's tea party, it's covered in dreamy little girl activities including this pony ride.

These are just a few examples of the terrific vintage 1940s tablecloths currently on hand. You can see these and others in my Etsy shop. They make a bright addition to the kitchen breakfast nook and the imagery is just as charming today as it was when they were made.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Christmas is a little more than a month away which leaves plenty of time to create using these vintage Christmas cross stitch patterns. These cross stitch patterns came from an original vintage pattern book from the 1920s.

The first thing that comes to mind are Christmas ornaments! The first chart could easily be made into a Christmas ornament and personalized with the family monogram. What a unique gift this would make for someone special!

In addition to ornaments, the swag above would look charming on napkins, tablecloth corners or even pillowcase edgings. Below are all the letters of the alphabet for easy personalization.

And here comes Santa Claus! These Christmas ornaments would take a little longer to create but would look great on any Christmas tree and would make very special gifts!

Time to get cracking! With Christmas just around the corner, time to get out the trusty embroidery floss and start stitching! I just love this timeless, vintage Christmas look and can't wait to get started with these fun vintage Christmas cross stitch patterns!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Since I'm on a quilt theme, here's another vintage quilt that's a real sweetie. This one came into my collection through an online auction. Although I'm not certain of it's age, it's definitely vintage and well loved.

The colors are a bit faded, especially the pink which I suspect was once actually red.

The elements that I find so attractive about this vintage rag quilt are it's scrappiness and randomness. It reminds me of a crazy quilt but without the embroidery. Yet it's still orderly with it's predictable pink diamonds.

Here's a good shot of the hand quilting. Not tiny, perfect stitches but the whole quilt is lovingly covered in hand stitches.

The fabrics include a lot of plaids but also sweet prints like these. Makes me think that maybe this was made in the 1930s or 1940s.

Considering it's size, which is twin, the use of plaids and that the pink looks like a faded red, I wonder if this sweet quilt was made by a loving mother for her son.

I just adore vintage quilts and truly admire the amount of time and effort that was put into these handmade treasures. This vintage rag quilt is a perfect example of that.

Monday, November 12, 2012

This incredible, vintage 1930s Double Wedding Ring quilt is in pristine condition. It is completely hand quilted and was lovingly pieced together decades ago. The colors are crisp and traditional for the era.

Probably the most amazing thing of all about this quilt is what it cost. I have seen vintage 1930s Double Wedding Ring quilts in antique shops, antique malls and for sale online. This sweetie was found in a thrift store. A thrift store!

Someone gave grandma's lovingly made Double Wedding Ring quilt away to the thrift store! And I picked it up for 15 bucks. I saw it out of the corner of my eye and snapped it right up, I knew what a treasure I had found!

Check out the handwork of these stitches on the curve of the Double Wedding Ring:

Here you can see the backing of the quilt and it's sweet shade of lavender. Interestingly, the purple used on the front of the quilt is a different shade than the back, a brighter, redder purple.

The take home message is keep your eyes open, you never know what goodies you'll find or where. For $15.00 I purchased a real treasure in this vintage 1930s Double Wedding Ring quilt and you can bet that I ALWAYS check the quilt section when I visit the thrift store!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

It's been so long since these Dresden Plate quilt pieces came into my life that I really can't remember where I got them. More than likely a rummage sale, garage sale or the like. All I do know is that these little treasures probably were made in the 1930s considering the fabric and the popularity of the Dresden Plate pattern at the time.

Since the sun provided such wonderful light yesterday, I decided to take advantage of it and photograph these unfinished quilt pieces.

I have a warm spot in my heart for 1930s fabrics and these pretty prints are still bright and cheerful after all these years! These Dresden Plate quilt pieces have a variety of colors and print sizes that give the overall look a balanced feeling.

The grey striped fabric on the left is intriguing with it's modern take on the leaf motif. One of the things I love about 1930s fabric prints are how they are sweetly old-fashioned, yet new in design.

The seamstress sewed the Dresden Plate pieces by machine but turned down the edges by hand. Here you can see the her hand basting in preparation for appliqué.

There are six of these beautiful Dresden Plate pieces waiting to be turned into a quilt, it's just a matter of time. Fortunately, they will blend beautifully with current reproduction 1930s fabrics and a new, yet retro quilt can be made easily. Well, time to get to work!